Natural Rhythm – Stay in Sync

We are heading off, at the end of this week, to Costa Rica. Our son, Matt, is getting married on a beach in Tamarindo, Costa Rica. We have done a lot of preparation and planning for this trip. The wedding will be in a very different climate, environment and culture that it will make it a truly unique and memorable experience.

One interesting thing about Costa Rica is that it is near the equator, and the length of the days and nights are evenly distributed. The sun rises and sets at around 6am and 6pm each day, year round.

This past year the Nobel prize for Medicine was awarded to three scientist for their discoveries about how internal clocks and biological rhythms govern human life. Here is how one article, I read, summarized this research.

“Life’s tough when everything’s out of sync”

The research points to the fact that  being good to our natural rhythms improves daily physiological and psychological function — and ultimately short- and long-term health. Reducing the wear and tear on our internal clock keeps it fresh, and robust.

It is interesting to note that with few exceptions, all organisms on the planet follow a circadian clock. From daffodils to sparrows, zebras to humans, everything under the sun follows the pattern of the sun.  The rising and the setting of the sun is still the primary influence on circadian rhythms.

Walking the Camino, one certainly gets into the natural rhythm of the day and night, as our rituals varied very little and we were very much in tune with the rising of the sun and its setting. I am curious what a few weeks stay in Costa Rica will do for helping us stay in natural rhythm, as we very much will be in tune with the sun rising and setting.

We all can make lifestyle changes and they can be a great gift to ourselves. Keeping in sync with our natural rhythms (e.g. when we go to bed and wake, when we eat and stop eating) and they are all part of keeping our circadian rhythms in sync and have great health benefits it turns out.

Let’s all stay in sync this year!

Blessings and all good,

John

Photograph of the Week

Look Up and Behold

Winter has come to the mountains and I have had a chance to spend a little time out on the Mountain Loop Highway, with my good hiking buddy, Bob Maier. I have found the some of the more interesting images are found when we look up and all around as we hike, while, watching our steps, of course, 🙂